The Duleep Trophy is just around the corner, starting on August 28, but East Zone have already hit a stumbling block.
Their captain, Ishan Kishan, won’t be available after picking up a small injury during his county stint in England.
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With Kishan ruled out, the responsibility of leading the team now shifts to the experienced Abhimanyu Easwaran.
Why is Ishan Kishan missing the tournament?
Ishan was recently in action for Nottinghamshire in the County Championship and looked in good touch.
But things turned unfortunate when he suffered an injury that needed stitches. This has forced him out of the Duleep Trophy at a time when he was eyeing a strong comeback into the Indian side.
Interestingly, Kishan had even cleared his fitness test at the BCCI Centre of Excellence, but the fresh injury disrupted his plans.
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For the record, the wicketkeeper-batter has played 60 First-Class matches, scoring 3,611 runs with eight centuries and 19 fifties to his name.
Who steps in as East Zone’s new captain?
In Kishan’s absence, Abhimanyu Easwaran has been trusted with the captaincy. The 29-year-old Bengal opener has been a consistent name in domestic cricket for years and carries a mountain of experience.
Even though he did not get a chance to play during India’s recent tour of England, his First-Class numbers are highly impressive.
Easwaran has already featured in 103 matches at this level, where he has scored 7,841 runs at an average close to 49.
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His record includes 27 hundreds and 31 half-centuries, proving why East Zone have handed him the captaincy baton.
Who replaces Kishan in the East Zone squad?
With Kishan unavailable, Jharkhand’s young wicketkeeper Kumar Kushagra has been drafted into the squad. He is seen as a like-for-like replacement behind the stumps.
Meanwhile, Kishan will continue his recovery and is expected to undergo another fitness check at the BCCI CoE in Bengaluru.
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If things go well, the southpaw could be in line for the India A tour of Australia next month. For now, though, his absence means East Zone will look to Easwaran’s leadership.